Semi-Weekly Mississippian [Jackson, MS], August 7, 1860
The Houston Telegraph, of the 31st ult. mentions meetings of citizens at Anderson, Hempstead, Brenham, Paris, &c., and the appointment of Vigilance committees, in consequence of the developments of the Abolition plot. The Telegraph says:
It has been ascertained that the negroes of Grimes county have held secret meetings, and many of them are supplied with arms.
In Fayette county a band of runaways was thought to have been organized, to make a break for Mexico.
The Gilmer Tribune reports the arrest of three negroes in that town on the 10th. They had in their possession passes, papers, and various documents, way-bills to the Indian Nation, pistols, powder, caps and writing materials. They said they were from Henderson county.
The house of Dr. W. W. Stell, of Lamar county, was fired by a negro on the 16th, and completely burned.
A letter in the Waco Democrat, written from Waxahachie, by Judge Buford, of Dallas, confirms the accounts of the troubles in Ellis and Dallas. It says: “Since you left this place the investigations of the vigilance Committee of Dallas has led to very important discoveries, implacating nearly all the negroes of Ellis and adjoining counties. To-day a committee was organized in this county, who have ascertained the existence of a most perfect and thorough organization, having for its object an indiscriminate massacre of the white population. Under the lash the negroes have admitted that they had in their possession deadly poisons, to be administered to their masters’ families in food; and when demanded of them, they have gone to the kitchen and produced the poison.
In every part of the State the people seem to be on the alert, and we have no fear of any further outbreak. The troubles in Ellis, Dallas, Denton and Terrant counties will be settled by the citizens. The committees at work there are composed of the best men in the several counties, and seem determined to make a clean thing of the matter. They are receiving the support of the whole population.